1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to processes and apparatuses for preparing poultry and other meat products prior to human consumption. More specifically, the invention relates to a method and a device for assisting in the control of moisture absorption of animal carcasses during the chilling of the carcasses as well as sterilization of the carcasses prior to the chilling procedure.
2. Related Art
It has been a long established practice and is now universally adopted as standard procedure in the industry to chill poultry in a cold water bath after evisceration to reduce the body temperature of the eviscerated birds as rapidly as possible from approximately 100.degree. F. to below 40.degree. F. to meet USDA requirements as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,004,407, 3,250,086 and 3,410,101. It is also common knowledge that these carcasses absorb a certain amount of moisture during the chilling process. The amount of moisture that may be absorbed by any particular size and type of bird is specifically limited by the USDA to assure that this practice is not abused. Therefore, it is of special concern to the processing plant that this "moisture pick up" be controlled as closely to that specified by the USDA as possible without the danger of exceeding the maximum which could cause the product to be impounded by the USDA for 24 hours or until the moisture was within limits.
It has also been generally recognized that the temperature of the skin of the carcass along with the amount of agitation that the bird received during the chilling process has a great deal of influence on the amount of moisture picked up. In recognition of this fact, the USDA places a maximum allowable temperature limit on the water temperature in the chiller of 60.degree. F.
In a similar manner it is a well established fact that controlling the skin temperature of the bird as it enters the picker greatly influences the ease and effectiveness of the picking operation, which is accomplished by passing the birds through a scalder with carefully controlled temperature immediately prior to the picking operation and in certain cases to even go through a second scalding operation for certain hard to pick areas such as the necks.